WASHINGTON, Oct. 27, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new
report released today from Safe Kids Worldwide, made possible with
support from FedEx®, reveals that school zones can be unsafe places
for students. The research observed 39,000 walkers and 56,000
drivers in school zones and recorded risky behaviors, including
distracted walking by students, distracted driving by those
dropping off, unsafe speed limits, unmarked crosswalks and limited
crossing guards.
Download the report and
infographic.
This comes at a time when, according to data from NHTSA,
pedestrian deaths among 12 – 19 year olds have increased 13 percent
in the past two years. In fact, 5 teens die every week while
walking. And in the past three years, distracted walking has
increased from 1 in 5 to more than 1 in 4 for
high school students and from 1 in 8 to 1 in 6
for middle school students.
Safe Kids Worldwide is calling on communities to make safe
school zones a priority by lowering and enforcing speed limits of
no more than 20 mph, installing signs and crosswalks where needed,
enforcing smart policies for dropping off and picking up students,
and putting an end to distraction while driving and crossing the
street.
The research, "Alarming Dangers in School Zones," is an
observational study that recorded middle and high school students
crossing the street in a school zone. About 80 percent of students
were observed crossing the street in an unsafe manner. Teens who
were distracted were most likely to be wearing headphones (44
percent) or texting (31 percent).
In addition to observing walkers, the study also recorded how
drivers behaved during drop off and pick up. Nearly 1
in 3 drivers displayed unsafe behaviors that endangered
pedestrians, like texting, double parking or blocking a
crosswalk.
Low speed limits (at or below 20 miles per hour) were observed
in only 4 out of 10 school zones. And marked crosswalks
were missing in 3 out of 10 crossings.
Interventions can work, but only if they are enforced.
Researchers observed that drivers were far less likely to engage in
unsafe behavior at schools where a drop-off/pick-up policy was
enforced compared to schools where the policy was not enforced.
"With teen pedestrian deaths on the rise, we need to rally our
communities to take action to protect our kids," said Kate Carr, president and CEO of Safe Kids
Worldwide. "Let's commit to slow down to at least 20 miles per hour
in school zones, enforce the rules and put an end to distraction
while driving and crossing the street."
"This new research draws attention to a problem that all of us
can work to solve," said Rose
Flenorl, manager, FedEx Global Citizenship. "FedEx is
committed to helping advance road safety best practices across the
U.S. and around the world."
Safe Kids Worldwide and FedEx are working to protect kids on the
move.
Communities can:
- Identify high-risk school zones and pursue proven
interventions, like crosswalks, appropriate speed limits, visible
signs, crossing guards and traffic lights.
- Educate parents and students about safe walking and
driving habits (e.g., not crossing mid-block and avoiding
distractions such as texting or talking on the phone).
- Set and enforce speed limits in school zones at no more than 20
miles per hour.
- Implement and enforce school policies regarding drop off and
pick up of students.
To take action, reach out to your school officials and local
elected officials. For more information, visit safekids.org.
About Safe Kids Worldwide
Safe Kids Worldwide is a
nonprofit organization working to prevent childhood injury,
the number one cause of death for children in
the United States. Throughout the
world, almost one million children die of an injury each year, and
almost every one of these tragedies is preventable. Safe Kids works
with an extensive network of more than 400 coalitions in the U.S.
and with partners in more than 30 countries to reduce traffic
injuries, drownings, falls, burns, poisonings and more. Since 1988,
Safe Kids has helped reduce the U.S. childhood death rate from
unintentional injury by 60 percent. Working together, we can
do much more for kids everywhere. Join our effort
at safekids.org.
About FedEx Corp.
FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides
customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of
transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual
revenues of $58 billion, the company
offers integrated business applications through operating companies
competing collectively and managed collaboratively, under the
respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world's most
admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 400,000
team members to remain "absolutely, positively" focused on safety,
the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of
their customers and communities. To learn more about how FedEx
connects people and possibilities around the world, please
visit about.fedex.com.
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SOURCE Safe Kids Worldwide